Attempted child abduction in St. Augustine South

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St. Johns County sheriff's deputies are searching for a man who reportedly tried to abduct a 9-year-old girl from a St. Augustine South home on Saturday.

This is the second abduction attempt in this neighborhood in recent months, neighbors say. But the Sheriff's Office said it did not hear about an earlier attempt until Saturday.

Kevin Kelshaw, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said that this incident began about 5:20 p.m. Saturday, when the girl walked from her home in the 100 block of Osprey Road to a house several doors away to play with a friend her age.

A white, four-door compact with a silver stripe on its side and silver rims was parked down the street. When the girl walked into the open garage of her friend's house she said she could feel the presence of someone following her, Kelshaw said.

"She turned around and a man grabbed her by the arm. She bit him in the upper arm, and he let go and ran away," he said. "She ran into the house."

A boy and his mother in the house called the Sheriff's Office. But the car was gone when deputies and detectives arrived.

The suspect is described as being a white male in his early 20s, about 5 foot, 8 inches tall, from 160 to 180 pounds, with reddish hair in a buzz cut, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He also had a pierced nose with a silver ring in it and wore a silver bracelet or watch on his right arm.

The man would also have a bite mark on his right bicep.

If he is caught, deputies will charge him with attempted abduction, Kelshaw said.

"Clay County's had several instances similar to this, where children were approached," he said. "None succeeded, but we're certainly going to get with their detectives to see if there are similarities."

A composite photograph of the suspect won't be available until Monday, he added.

The victim and her family, and the family living in the house where the incident occurred, all said they didn't want to talk to the media.

However, next-door neighbor Mike Brown said the incident was frightening for parents in the area.

"My son is 8, and fortunately he was grounded today," Brown said. "Deputies learned that this is the second time it's happened here."

Kelshaw said the other incident was not known to detectives because the victims did not report it to the Sheriff's Office.

"We're just hearing that tonight. A deputy doing a canvass got that information," he said. "The victim in this case is doing well. She's obviously upset and scared, but she did what it took to get away from the guy."

Brown said that the kids used to be able to play in the street without worry.

"That's pretty much changed now," he said. "Me or my wife will probably have to be out there, watching them."